LAWJOBS.COM S.F. BAY AREA JOB LISTINGS

March 19, 2008

Thelen Cuts 26 Associates, 85 staff

So Thelen is keeping us busy this afternoon. We’ve been working on a tip about layoffs there for a couple days now, and got the confirmation from firm Chairman Stephen O’Neal an hour ago.

O’Neal says Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner has laid off 26 associates and 85 staff nationwide. The firm is also trimming its summer program from eleven to eight weeks and is pushing the start date for first-years from September to January.

At least one associate was laid off in each of the firm’s offices. The practices affected were business and finance, litigation and construction, which O’Neal said was the busiest department.

“It’s no secret that businesses generally and law firms in particular around the country are feeling recessionary pressures and dealing with them and we have been giving consideration to how best we should,” O’Neal told us. “We’re being proactive. Many other firms have engaged in cost-cutting measures.”

That may be true, but no one in the California market, at least, has announced a move this dramatic. The first firm to resort to layoffs often takes the biggest public relations hit, and we’re wondering how many other firms have been making plans, but resisting being the first domino to fall.

Guess we’ll find out.

Our full story on the layoffs is up at CalLaw.com (available with free registration).